Global Table Adventure

Monday Meal Review: Germany

May 2, 2011 By Sasha Martin 13 Comments

THE SCENE My friend Amanda has the same philosophy as I do when it comes to kids and food: they'll learn to love good food if you feed 'em good food. That doesn't mean it's always easy. Recently Ava's been turning her nose up at anything that looks funny - green, purple - whatever. The girl is simply not interested. The other day I made her spinach ravioli and she didn't want any part of it. After fifteen minutes of practically begging the girl to take a bite, I finally just asked … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Germany, Monday Meal Review

How to homebrew: German Altbier (Beer)

May 1, 2011 By Sasha Martin 8 Comments

I know very little about beer. So little, in fact, that I've been known to drink it on ice. While I've been told this is an epic sin, I can't help myself. There's nothing better after a hot, sweaty bike ride in the summer than beer on ice. That being said, I thought our German Global Table was the perfect opportunity to take a stab at homebrewing. This is my step-by-step eperience making German Altbier. I am using the Brewer's Best kit which can be purchased at High Gravity in Tulsa, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alcohol, Cold, Europe, Germany, International Recipes

Recipe: Mini Beef Rouladen

May 1, 2011 By Sasha Martin 5 Comments

Serves 2-4 Welcome to Germany! Mustard, pickles, onions, bacon, and the beefiest beef you can find - all tucked into a luscious gravy and served with red cabbage [Recipe] and potatoes. First, a few tips. Rouladen should be made with wide strips of tough beef -the kind that benefits from slow cooking. Typically this is round steak, but my supermarket only had chuck roast. The meat should be about 4" wide and very long and thin. Have your butcher cut it for you. If you think of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christmas, Europe, Germany, International Recipes, Meat

Recipe: Eastern European Red Cabbage

May 1, 2011 By Sasha Martin 2 Comments

Serves 6 There's one thing I know for sure. This recipe is served all over Germany and other eastern European countries. You almost don't have to look at a menu before ordering it (unless, of course, you're eating at a Chinese restaurant in Germany). Red cabbage is super simple to make -the hardest part is cutting the cabbage. And that's not very hard. Unless you don't have a knife. Ingredients: 1 head red cabbage, cored and sliced thinly (about 3 lbs) 1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Germany, Gluten Free Adaptable, International Recipes, Potluck Friendly, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Seasoning Blends & Pickles, Vegan, Vegetables/Pulses, Vegetarian

I’ll take my meat with cookies, thank you.

April 29, 2011 By Sasha Martin 9 Comments

Pull up your chair to the German dinner table and you'll likely eat a heaping plate of meat and potatoes. You might even encounter a crunchy gingersnap or a soft, spicy gingerbread cookie [Recipe]. What you might not expect, however, is that your cookies could be in your meat dish. That's right. The German dish called Sauerbraten is a slow-cooked pot roast, loaded up with vinegar and a rich, brown gravy thickened with nothing more than cookies. But let's start at the beginning, shall … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Fun Friday, Germany

Recipe: German Tree Cake (Baumtorte/Baumkuchen)

April 28, 2011 By Sasha Martin 76 Comments

Serves 12 This is my favorite cake. All 20 layers of it. It has been since my mitten-wearing years. My mom used this intricately layered almond and chocolate cake as an activity for us kids - something to keep us busy on rainy mornings, when crayons had lost their interest. It is single-handedly responsible for my obsession with almond paste (and it's sweeter counterpart, marzipan). The original recipe might as well be called "the dance of dirty bowls." I took a hacksaw to the method, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Germany, International Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, New Year's, Potluck Friendly, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Sweets, Technique Thursday, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian Tagged With: Baumkuchen

Menu: Germany

April 27, 2011 By Sasha Martin Leave a Comment

If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of spring cleaning, try making these recipes, especially the beer and cake. Good luck. If you're as clumsy as a frog, as I am, you'll be cleaning up half-fermented beer splatters and chocolate drips for days. Squeak, shluck, squeak, shluck. That's the sound of my sneakers on sticky tiles. Shudder. Of course, the final result allows you to eat and drink your sorrows away, so there's that. Or you could just not be clumsy in the first place. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Germany, Menu Wednesday

About the food of Germany

April 26, 2011 By Sasha Martin 10 Comments

I first went to Germany for a basketball tournament. I'd just made Captain of the J.V. team, thanks in great part to the small size of our school rather than any particular skill. That weekend we played with "heart" as our coach liked to say, losing by a mere 12 points - a definite improvement since the beginning of the season when we had lost several games by well over 30 points. That kind of loss is a creaming and, unfortunately, not the kind that ends up in cake. After Friday's game … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Germany, Travel Tuesday